349 MBCB Challenge Questions:

Chapter 11 Human Impact on the Sea

 

1.                   Discuss how DDT has ended up in top marine carnivores.

2.                   Why is the introduction of alien animals in to the marine environment of concern to marine biologists?

3.                   Who is Garrett Hardin and what did he do that was so important for the ecological-environmental movement?

4.                   What was the Cod War?  How far out is the boundary for international waters?  What happened to New England waters several years ago?

5.                   What are the major pollution problems facing marine ecosystems?  What is ( are ) the major force (s) causing these problems?

6.                   What is ( are ) the problem (s) associated with oil spills?  Consider the 1989 oil spill in Alaskan waters by the Exxon Valdez.

7.                   What is/are the problem (s) associated with dumping sewage into the bay to get rid of it?

8.                   What is meant by the terms “ biological magnification “ and bioaccumulation “ ?

9.                   What happened on the shores of Minamata Bay?  Describe the events of the tragedy.  How did the methyl-mercury get into the children?

10.               What is DDT, DDE?  How does DDT get into birds if they do not come anywhere near the places where it is used?

11.               Why has the total catch in marine fisheries declined in the 1990’ even though new fisheries’ resources such as krill are being exploited?  What might this mean for the future of marine fisheries?  Discuss.

12.               Compare the fate of the Peruvian anchovy fishery from the mid-1950s to the present to that of the Great Lakes fishery during the mid-1800s into the early part of this century.

13.               Why did the collapse of the Peruvian anchovy fishery in the mid-1950s have a serious impact on the price of chicken eggs in Europe?  Speculate.

14.               How does dredging influence productivity in the marine habitat?  Discuss.

15.               How can pet shops have an indirect impact on coral reefs?

16.               Besides reducing the numbers of fishes, in what other ways does fishing alter fish populations?  Discuss.

17.               Support or refute:  Mariculture will or will not solve the problem of feeding the human race.  Provide specific examples to support your argument.

18.               How do pollutants reach the sea?